Improvement in rheotomes or circuit-directors



2 Sheets--Sheet1.

I T. A. EDISON. improvement in Rheotomes or Circuit-Directors. N0. 131,334. Patenterd Sep.17,1872.

2 Sheets-- Sheet 2.

T. A. EDiSON.

improvement in Rheotomes or Circuit-Directors.

N 131,334. Patented Sep.17,1872.

K 7 @ii UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

THOMAS A. EDISON, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN RHEOTOMES OR CIRCUIT-DIRECTORS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. EDIsoN, of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented an Improved ltheotome or Circuit-Director; and the following is declared to be a correct description of the same.

This invention is for selecting from a number of telegraphic circuits the particular one to which a message is to be communicated. For instance, a connection from the sendingstation, say at New York, may pass to this improved instrument located, say at Philadelphia, and by operating said instrument at Philadelphia by a negative current, a connection may be opened with a line to Reading, Harrisburg, Baltimore, .or any other desired point, and communication be made direct or through a relay by pulsations of positive polarity, the rheotome instrument at Philadelphia remaining passive until again operated by a current of the opposite polarity.

I make use of a circuit-closing arm revolved in contact with the circular range of insulated circuit-closing pins by a step-by-step movement actuated by an electro-magnet upon an armature that is polarized, and the circuit is closed through one of said pins to the distant station, or to a relay-magnet to the distant station, and the step-by-step movement is actuated by pulsations of one polarity; but if the opposite polarity is employed there Will not be any movement of the rheotome, because the polarity of the electro-magnet is such as to repel the polarized armature.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a plan of the machine adapted to relay-magnets in local lines. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the said rheotome, and Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrative of the connections.

The vertical shaft a is revolved by a stepby-step movement of any desired character. 1 have shown the lever b and a ratchet-wheel. This lever b carries a polarized armature, c, that is operated by the electro-magnet or magnets din the main-line circuits, and e and f are finger-keys, by means of which pulsations of positive or negative polarity can be sent over the main line from the battery 9 to the magnet or magnets d. The shaft a is also in the main-line circuit and carries the selecting-arm h, the end of which moves around in contact with the pins or conductors tin the rheotome-plate k. The conductorsi are connected to the wires '1, that lead to either distant magnets by line-wires or to relaymagnets on n o p, that are constructed in any desired manner to operate local or relay circuits, or perform any other desired operation. The end of the arm It must be wide enough to reach from one of the conductors t to the next while being moved around, otherwise the circuit will be broken, and the hand remain stationary, and I remark that the rheotome is adapted to a large number of circuits; but may be used with only three or four, and a wire, .9, is employed to connect all the conductor-pins'i that are not otherwise connected to local or relay circuits, so that the selector-hand may be revolved all the way round in making any selection desired.

The operator energizes the magnet d with pulsations that will cause the polarized armature c to be attracted, say, of positive polarity, and the current passes from the battery 9 through f, d, a, 71.,z', and I through one of the electro-magnets m, n, 0, or p, and by the ground back through c to g, and according to the number of pulsations, so the arm it will stop over one or the other of the pins 15 and make the connection through the same to its magnet. When the key 0 is operated and pulsations of opposite polarity sent, the arm it will not be moved because the polarized armature 0 will remain unacted upon. The electric pulsations passing on through h 61 may act in an electro-magnet to affect any object at m p 0, Fig. 3. These electro-mag nets are shown as at a distant station. They might, however, all be near the rheotome, as illustrated at n, to operate relay or local circuits. The wire 8 insures a circuit connection through either of the pins 73 that is not connected to a local or relay circuit.

Instead of using a single magnet, d, there might be a double one, and the armature vibrate between the cores; in this instance aretractile spring to the armature is rendered unnecessary, and the rheotome will be set by alternate pulsations of opposite polarity, and

the rheotome will not be moved by a repeti circuit-pins i i of the rheotome, in combination of pulsations of one polarity, and these tion with the arm h, magnet 01, and polarized will act at the distant magnet. armature, substantially as set forth.

I claim as my invention Signed by me this 6th day of May, A. D. 1. The rheotome, formed of the arm h and 1872.

conductor-pins z, in combination with the mag- T. A. EDISON.

net 01 and polarized armature, substantially as Witnesses:

and for the purposes set forth. GEO. T. PINGKNEY,

2. The wire or conductor 8, connecting the CHAS. E. SMITH. 

